Black Book of the Admiralty
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An old navy code, said to have been compiled in the reign of Edward III.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Black Book of the Admiralty” mean?
An old navy code, said to have been compiled in the reign of Edward III.
Is “Black Book of the Admiralty” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.